Switch for cable railways



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. A. STAFFORD 8; A. S.-ROBINSON.

SWITCH FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

No. 438,650. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets"-Sheet 3.

G. A. STAFFORD & AqsI ROBINSON.

' SWITCH FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

No. 438,650. Patented Oct. 21,1890.

W W! WW:

UNITED STATES PATENT 3 OFFICE.

GEORGE A. STAFFORD AND ALBERT S. ROBINSON, OF RATON, TERRITORY OF NEWMEXICO.

SWITCH FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 438,650, dated October21, 1890.

Application filed November 9,1889- Serial No. 829,809. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE A. STAFFORD and ALBERT S. ROBINSON, citizensof the United States, residing at Raton, in the county of Colfax andTerritory of New Mexico, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Switches for Cable Railways; and we do hereby declarethe followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has relation to improvements inslot-switches in cablerailways, and the obj cots are, first, to provide improved means fordirecting the gripper into its proper slot of a road bed where carscoming over the same track are switched in opposite or differentdirections; second, to provide improved means for switching cars ofdifferent tracks running for a distance over a single track in differentdirections at the terminus of the single track, and, third, to simplifyand improve existing means employed to effectuate the switching ofcable-cars.

Our invention therefore consists in the novel construction of parts, andtheir combination or operative aggroupment, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and specially as the same is particularly pointed out in theclaims.

We attain the objects of our invention by means of the mechanismsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a planview of a cable-railway road-bed having our improvements applied. Fig. 2is a bottom plan view of the same, showing the mechanism in operativeaggro upment. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a car having thespring foot-levers applied, by which the switch mechanism is operatedfrom the car, with a small plan view of the spring-seat shown below.Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of the means for lifting the cable to thegripper after the car has been switched from the straight section oftrack. Fig. 5 is a view Showing a carwith gripper on the track. Fig. 6is a detail of the switch-points. Fig. 7 is a transverse section throughthe road-bed on the line m a: of Fig. 2, showing the construction of thelever which operates the plunger-rod.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 (see Fig. 1)

designate a track, and 2 2 anothertrack coming from a differentdirection,and both curving into a common or single track 3 3 and thencurved in opposite directions, as shown in the drawings. In theroad-beds is the usual slot 4., through which the gripper projects belowthe road-bed to grasp the cables.

In the conduit are mounted the cablesheaves to carry the cable for therespective lines of cars, these being designated by 5 and 6, the sheaveson the straight line of track between the curves being double andmounted on same journals or shafts.

At the point between the junction of the slots is arranged averticalshaft 7, on the projecting upper end of which is fixed the slotswitchpoint 8, the forward end of which extends beyond the junction of theslots and sweeps over the main slot, its movements being limited bystuds 9,placed in the road-bed, as shown.

About the middle of the slot-switch is secured one arm of a shifting-bar10, the other arm of which is projected up through the roadbed and fixedin a switch-piece 11, pivoted on the road-bed and arranged to open andclose against the rail to direct the car in the desired direction. Theshifting-bar 10 is given a lim ited play in slots a in the bed. (SeeFig. 2.)

On the lower end of the shaft 7 of the slotswitch isa cross-head 11 tothe ends of which are connected pull-rods 12, having their other endsarranged in slots 13 in arms 14 on shafts 15, projected through theroad-bed, and having on the projecting ends levers 16, which arearranged to incline from their pivotal point inward to the slot,substantially as shown, to engage the operating-bars on the cars. Thelevers 16 are returned to their normal position after being moved tothrow the switches by spring 17, suitably attached to the arms 14 and tothe under side of the road-bed. The switch-points are, however, held inposition to which turned by the plunger-bar, hereinafter described.

Across the under side of the road-bed is a lever 18, having attached toits free end a spring plunger-rod 19, the free end of which engages oneither side of alug 20 on the shifting-bar 10. This lever, with itsplunger-bar, is

disengaged from the lug by the movements of the arms 14, bearing againstthe lever 18, when either of the levers 16 is moved and returned by thespring on the bar, when engage ment of the arms with the lever ceases.This plunger-bar by engagement with the lug on the shifting-bar holdsthe switch-point in the position to which it may be swung or moved bythe action of the levers 16. The lever 18 is either arched or bent, sothat the part extending across the road-bed is below and out of the wayof the gripper, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

20 designates an alarm-bell secured to the road-bed and operated by anarm fulcrumed 011 the road-bed and carrying a sheave or sheaves 21 onthe other end. The object of this alarm is to give notice when thegripper releases the cable by the cable dropping down on the sheave andcausing the arm to strike the bell.

22 designates a cable-lifter designed to lift the cable into grippingposition after the car has been switched in the desired direction. Thiscable-lifter consists of a hanger carrying a sheave 23 and mounted inbearings on the road-bed, as shown, and having verticallydirected arms24 projected through slots 25 in the road-bed. The vertical arms 24 arestruck down and curved, as shown at 26, to be engaged by the wheels ofthe car in passing over. This engagement lifts the sheave and with itthe cable, and the gripper can again take hold.

In the floor of the grippeecar are two holes suitably located so as tobe convenient to the foot of the gripman. In these holes are disposedstep-levers 27 28, having their lower ends formed to engage the innerfaces of the respective levers 16 and push these levers outward to turnthe switch mechanism.

In seats in the car-bottom about the steplevers are arranged springs 29,which exert their force to lift the step-levers and hold them raisedwhen not in use. These steplevers are made detachable, and may be liftedout of their positions and turned about with their ends directed inopposite direction to suit the direction of the travel.

The operation is as follows: As the car comes onto the single track fromeither of the directions indicated, the grip is released before the gongis reached, the release being indicated by the alarm. The foot of thegripman is then applied to the proper step-lever, which brings the endof the lever in position to engage the switch-lever on the road-bed,which,through the instrumentality of the connections below the bed tothe switches, throws these elements in the direction required, and thecar is switched accordingly. After the car turns the curve thecable-lifter arms are engaged and the cable lifted into location forgripping, which being accomplished the car proceeds, as usual. I

Having thus described our invention, so as to distinguish it from priorinventions in the art, we now proceed to particularly point out andspecify the parts and combinations we claim as our invention, asfollows:

1. In a cable-road switch, the combination of switch-levers pivoted onthe road-bed and provided with arms on the lower ends of their shafts, aslot-switch pivoted on a vertical shaft at the junction of the curves, across head on the lower end of the vertical shaft of theslot-switch,connecting-rods secured to the cross-head and arms of the switch-levers,a switch-tongue in the curve of one of the tracks, and a bar connectingthe slot-switch and the switch-tongue, substantially as described.

2. In a cable-road switch, the combination of a slot-switch, atrack-switch connected to the slot-switch, levers on the road-bed toshift the slot-switch and track-switch at one time, a lever under theroad-bed arranged to be moved by the shifting-levers, and a plungerrodon the lever under the road-bed to engage the connections of theslot-switch and trackswitch and lock them in position, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of a slotswitch mounted on a vertical shaftat thejunction of the intersecting slots of the road-beds, a trackswitchpivoted on the road-bed at the curve, a shifting-bar connecting the saidswitches, a lever provided with a spring-plunger to engage theshifting-bar and hold it in locked position, and levers operated fromthe car to throw the switches and unlock the shiftingbar, substantiallyas described.

4. I11 a cable-track, the cable-lifter journaled under the road-bed andcarrying a sheave and having arms extending upward through the road-bed,with their upper ends struck down on the road-bed and adapted to beengaged by the wheels of the car, substantially as described.

5. In a cable-road, the cable-lifter herein described,consisting of ahanger fulcrumed under the road-bed, a sheave in the hanger, and armsprojected from the hanger above the road-bed, said arms being arrangedalong the tracks, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we affix oursignatures in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE A. STAFFORD. ALBERT S. ROBINSON. \Vitnesses:

lVIARSHALL A. YEAGER, JONATHAN H. HUNT.

